CBS’ Couric says U.S. needs a Muslim ‘Cosby Show’ like Canada’s

By Bill Mann

CBS anchor Katie Couric says U.S. TV needs a Muslim version of “The Cosby Show.” Canadian TV has had one for years, something Couric often mentions.

Last year during New York’s “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy, the newswoman said she thought it might be a good idea to do an American version of the CBC’s award-winning “Little Mosque on the Prairie,” now seen in 80 countries around the world besides Canada. She caught plenty of flak — and still does — from conservative web sites about that. Couric said a show like “Mosque” would go a long way to prevent the demonization of Muslims in the U.S.

Undaunted by the criticism, Couric recently featured an interview with the Canadian-produced show’s star and producer, Zaib Shaikh, on her CBS News webcast.

On the CBC series, Shaikh plays the imam of the local mosque, a young, hip former Toronto lawyer who opts for a spiritual career.

Critics of the popular show, now in its fifth season on CBC, would probably back off if they’d watched “Mosque,” which few Americans have.

I’ve seen “Mosque” a number of times. (Canadian TV hasn’t gone digital yet, so I get Vancouver’s CBC affiliate signal over the air in Washington state.)

Bland leading the bland

This long-time newspaper TV critic doesn’t watch “Mosque” regularly, though — and not because of any political reasons. It’s because, like much of Canadian TV, it’s fairly insipid. “Mosque,” with few exceptions, has all the astringency of “The Andy Griffith Show.” There are a few lighthearted jokes about female Muslims “knowing their place” by the town’s few hard-line Muslims. But it’s pretty tame stuff.

You almost expect the Muslims in the small prairie town of Mercy to form a curling league (and who knows…they might). There’s a new Anglican minister in Mercy, but no conflict here, either — he plays cards with the sweater-wearing young Muslim cleric.

IF the Canadian sitcom were to air in the U.S. — a big if — my guess is that “Mosque” would be too bland for mainstream American audiences. There are no raunchy sex jokes, no violence, no insults, just mild misunderstandings and well-worn plotlines.

But Couric has a point: The show puts a human face on Muslims, something American TV hasn’t done yet. Canada has a much larger immigrant community than the U.S., and the pleasant “Little Mosque” reflects that.

California — B.C.’s Newest “Neighbor”?

Oops. Canada’s Defence Minister, Peter MacKay, seems to think that British Columbia shares a border with California. Forget about Oregon and Washington.

MacKay’s “embarrassing flub” happened at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce dinner this week when the minister appeared with former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper, reports that MacKay told the dinner that “California and California have a shared border,a strong relationship.” The Star helpfully provided a map, showing that the B.C. and California borders are 950 kilometers (about 550 miles) apart.

“Sarah Palin can see Russia from her place in Alaska, but our own Peter MacKay thinks he can zip across the British Columbia border to Los Angeles,” said the Star.

Good thing MacKay’s military doesn’t have to send troops to the California border.

The Toronto daily said that MacKay’s embarrassing slip was possibly “because of nervousness sitting so close to The Terminator.”